Category: Bullying

How to Get on With The Boss

A helpful little eBook from Wendy Smith

Boss is not a very popular word. Some people have problems thinking of themselves as that kind of person. Others have lots of trouble getting with the person in that role – the boss. I have written little eBook that is available on Amazon. It has lots of advice to help you if you are having trouble getting with your manager. How to Get on With The Boss is brief but wise. And I wrote it because so many of my clients seem to have problems with their boss at work.

Read it. You really will learn how to make a great first and lasting impression at work as well as how to get on with your manager.

Don’t be made unhappy, suffer stress and lose confidence because you cannot get on with the person in charge. Poor relationships at work can damage life at home as well as your career. Unhappiness at work often has long-term effects on health. This little eBook by an experienced manager and coach can really help.

It covers; • What it means to get on with the boss • Why it matters • How to know whether you really are getting on with your boss • How to get it right • What your boss really wants • How requirements can change over time • Making a good first impression • Keeping respect once you’re in the role • What to do when things go wrong • Bosses with problems • Demon bosses • Putting things right • Moving on when it is time to go • Bullying

If you don’t find the answer to your problem in the book then please get in touch with me. Coaching really can help, so email me atwendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Wendy Smith is a career consultant, life coach and business coach with depth of experience in organisational development, management, coaching and personal development. That experience means she is equally at home helping clients find a new career direction, starting-up new businesses or dealing with life’s more challenging personal issues. You can contact her at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Wendy has written a little eBook on how to get on with your boss and a book on job search – you can find all her books on Amazon at this link

Preventing Violence in the Workplace

Management – Preventing Violence and Harassment in the Workplace

Preventing Violence in the Workplace – any form of harassment and violence at work, whether it is committed by co-workers, managers or third-parties like customers or suppliers, is unacceptable.

As well as being wrong ethically, it affects the physical and psychological health of those involved. Yet according to the British Crime Survey (BCS) in 2006/07, there were an estimated 684,000 workplace incidents, (288,000 assaults and 397,000 threats of violence).

Tolerance, diversity, dignity and respect are benchmarks for business and organizational success, so it is in a manager’s interest to identify and address the threat of harassment and violence in the workplace. But there are legal duties too.

Preventing Violence in the Workplace

Employers and managers are required to protect the health and safety of all their workers,. Failure to deal with, and take reasonable steps to prevent, harassment and violence not only undermines business performance, it could be unlawful.

Employers and unions have a common, shared interest in preventing harassment and violence. And in 2007, the European Union social partners reached an agreement on the issue.

As a result in the UK, the Trades Union Congress (TUC),the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Partnership of Public Employers (PPE) for employers in the private and public sectors issued guidance to implement the agreement in the UK. This had the support of the Government, including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

The aim of the agreement and the guidance is to;

• Raise awareness and increase the understanding of employers, workers and their representatives of workplace harassment

• Provide employers, workers and their representatives with a framework of response to identify, prevent and manage problems of harassment and all forms of violence at work.

Wendy Smith is a career consultant, life coach and business coach with depth of experience in organisational development, management, coaching and personal development. That experience means she is equally at home helping clients find a new career direction, starting-up new businesses or dealing with life’s more challenging personal issues. You can contact her at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Wendy has written a little eBook on how to get on with your boss and a book on job search – you can find all her books on Amazon at this link

Management – Preventing Violence and Harassment in the Workplace

Any form of harassment and violence at work, whether it is committed by co-workers, managers or third-parties like customers or suppliers, is unacceptable.

As well as being wrong ethically, it affects the physical and psychological health of those involved. Yet according to the British Crime Survey (BCS) in 2006/07, there were an estimated 684,000 workplace incidents, (288,000 assaults and 397,000 threats of violence).

Tolerance, diversity, dignity and respect are benchmarks for business and organizational success, so it is in a manager’s interest to identify and address the threat of harassment and violence in the workplace.

But there are legal duties too.

Employers and managers are required to protect the health and safety of all their workers,. Failure to deal with, and take reasonable steps to prevent, harassment and violence not only undermines business performance, it could be unlawful.

Employers and unions have a common, shared interest in preventing harassment and violence. And in 2007, the European Union social partners reached an agreement on the issue.

As a result in the UK, the Trades Union Congress (TUC),the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and the Partnership of Public Employers (PPE) for employers in the private and public sectors issued guidance to implement the agreement in the UK. This had the support of the Government, including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).

The aim of the agreement and the guidance is to;

• Raise awareness and increase the understanding of employers, workers and their representatives of workplace harassment

• Provide employers, workers and their representatives with a framework of response to identify, prevent and manage problems of harassment and all forms of violence at work.

Wendy Mason is a Life and Career Coach. She helps people have the confidence they need to be successful at work and to change career while maintaining a good work/life balance. You can email her at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com

This week my posts are going to be about Communication and I start here with how to give the bad news – in this case seriously bad news, for example, about redundancy.

About a year ago I published a version of the post below! It has been one of the most popular items on this site!

I started my working life as a nurse. In those days we were given no preparation for giving bad news. I can still remember feeling totally undone by the prospect of having to tell a young husband that his wife had died! I was the only person there to give the message. I did my best but to this day, I know that I could have done it better! I still remember every moment of the encounter with that poor man! So here is the advice which is now usually given to medical students in the UK and I believe nurses in training receive similar advice! It can be equally useful in the workplace. Don’t under estimate the sense of loss and pain that accompanies news of redundancy!

“THE DELICATE ART OF GIVING BAD NEWS This post is going to be concerned with, what John Nettles’ character described in a recent edition of Midsomer Murders as, ‘the delicate art of delivering bad news’

I covered giving feedback in a recent post and this is closely related, so you may wish to read that as well.

On most occasions when you give feedback your hearer is expecting a message of some kind – good or bad. Bad news often comes as a shock, even if it is expected! The reality and the details may be very hard to bear! There is, and should be, a lot more to it than just saying or writing the words!

If you want to ensure there is the best possible outcome then you will need to prepare and to follow-up, as well as delivering the message itself well!

Preparing

Preparing to give bad news is almost as important as actually giving it. For instance, where are you going to have the meeting? Where you sit or stand in relation to the hearer and even what you wear is important, if the news is seriously bad. If you have to write, then you need to think about the medium – this is not the time for a very brief email! You will need to think about how you are going to follow up and provide an opportunity to handle questions

When choosing a place, you should make sure it’s quiet with little or no chance of interruption. Make sure it’s some place you can make the person feel as comfortable as possible. If possible, sit close to the person at eye-level with no barrier between you. Studies have shown that many people feel isolated and alone if you sit behind a desk or some other barrier. They may also perceive you as cold and uncaring if you sit too far away.

Knowing how you should comfort really must come from what you know about the person! For instance, if you’ve found they don’t like people sitting too close this may make them feel uncomfortable rather than at ease.

One thing that is important is for you to be very clear about the facts, the explanation behind a decision, for example, before you begin. You also need to know the options open to the person. In case of redundancy, what support can the person expect from HR? In this example, identify an HR contact so that you can pass a name and telephone number onto the individual?

The worst thing you can do when giving bad news, is to give the individual the impression that you didn’t even care enough to find out the facts. Know your material and don’t work from notes, if you can, on this occasion! Notes can provide a barrier and you will not be able to judge their reactions so well!

Work out what your own feelings are about the situation before the meeting, and how to deal with them! You want the person to know you are sorry but it isn’t fair to overwhelm them with your own grief!

Giving the news

Watching the person’s reaction and listening are very important while actually while giving bad news. Just from body language or the extent of eye contact, you can tell if they understand and accept what you’re saying and what emotions they are experiencing. Be prepared for anger or despair with serious news.

It is really important to remember to speak clearly and slowly. Don’t jump straight into the news – go through the usual courtesies at the beginning of the meeting. In a letter warn them that you have bad news and say that you are sorry about it!

Throughout the meeting, ask them if they have any questions and if they understand what you’re telling them. Don’t let your feelings weigh on the listener!

Following-up

After you’ve given the bad news, don’t end the meeting abruptly. Ask again for questions or if they need any information repeated. Offer additional sources of information like pamphlets or the names of support groups if they are available. Make sure to pass on that name and contact details for HR.

Most of us feel somewhat lost after receiving very bad news. One way to deal with this is to schedule another meeting shortly afterwards or to ring them to discuss how they are going to manage the time ahead.

At the very least you will want to make sure they understood what you told them and that they can respond to it as necessary. Then you may want to allow them some time alone! Just don’t rush them out of your office or wherever the meeting is taking place. Take time to be kind – compassion costs us nothing!”

I would very much welcome your own tips on handling bad news and to hear your own experiences

I hope to publish the next post in this series on Communication on Wednesday 2nd March 2011

I watched the Weakest Link last night. Anne Robinson was clearly in good form! I missed most of the opening round but I did see the first departure and that made me wonder. Dave was voted off mainly, apparently, for his rather flamboyant shirt and the distraction it caused for others. He hadn’t got any of the questions wrong. For me his response to going was confusing! He had a fairly fixed smile on his face as he commented that no one would be surprised as he was expected to have ago at things and fail.

For me this raises a number of challenging issues:

Dressing for the programme/part/job really does make a difference! For this group, certainly how you dressed mattered. When faced with making a choice, even when all other things were equal, the shirt was the deciding factor.

Believing you are going to fail usually means you do! If you don’t see yourself as a success, and don’t have the confidence that flows from that vision, then you begin to behave as if failure has already happened. The energy level drops and, guess what, down you fall from your tightrope!

Standing out from the crowd is risky! Choosing to stand out from the crowd is always brave but to some degree it is usually required for real success. It is risky! You put yourself apart from the group and that can mean they turn on you! If you are already reconciled to failure this can be very risky indeed! It is very easy to slip into the role of victim and that can lead to bullying – see the point below!

Group think can be damage. I doubt these nice middle class contestants would have commented so publicly on someone’s dress, in a group with different values. In a group it is very easy for us to take on group values and sometimes even slip into the habit of criticising to the point of bullying and destroying someone else’s confidence. Do the groups you belong to reflect your own values? As a manager – what steps do you take to monitor the values of the groups you lead and how do you intervene to protect potential victims?

I would be very interested in your views on the issues raised here. Have you been in a group that regarded you as ‘different’? What happened and how did you handle it? Have you found yourself managing a group that developed values different from those you would of chosen? What did you do?